CPT 88152: Cervical/Vaginal Cytopathology Manual Technical with Computer-Assisted Rescreening

CPT code 88152 describes a service where a laboratory analyst performs the technical component of a manual cervical or vaginal cytopathology slide evaluation and then rescreens the same slide using computer-assisted review under a physician’s supervision; service type: cytopathology technical and computer-assisted rescreening, typical site of service: clinical laboratory or hospital laboratory.

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CPT 88152: Cervical/Vaginal Cytopathology Manual Technical with Computer-Assisted Rescreening

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Get alerted when payer policies referencing 88152 are released or updated.

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A 32-year-old woman presents for routine cervical cancer screening. A clinician collects a cervical cytology specimen (Pap test) during a preventive visit or a follow-up exam for prior abnormal screening. The specimen is processed in the cytology laboratory where a cytotechnologist or lab analyst performs a manual microscopic evaluation of the cervical or vaginal cytology slide to identify epithelial abnormalities, infectious organisms, or reactive changes. Following the manual technical review, the same slide is rescanned or re-reviewed using computer-assisted imaging or screening software to ensure lesions or abnormal cells are not missed. A supervising pathologist or cytopathologist provides medical oversight, reviews flagged or abnormal cases, and signs out results. Typical workflow steps: collection at an outpatient clinic or women's health center; transport to the cytology laboratory; accessioning and slide preparation; manual screening by the lab analyst (88152 technical component); computer-assisted rescreening; pathologist review for positives or atypical findings; report generation and communication to the ordering provider. Typical site of service: hospital outpatient laboratory, independent clinical laboratory, or outpatient women's health clinic with lab services. Typical patient scenario: asymptomatic screening, surveillance after prior abnormal cytology or positive human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, or evaluation of vaginal/cervical symptoms such as abnormal bleeding or discharge that warrant cytologic evaluation.

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`88141`	Cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), collected in preservative fluid, automated thin layer preparation; manual screening under physician supervision	Alternative or preceding method when liquid-based cytology with manual screening is performed; may be performed prior to or instead of computer-assisted rescreening
`88142`	Cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), collected in preservative fluid, automated thin layer preparation; automated screening, without manual review	Related automated screening approach; represents a workflow that may substitute for or complement `88152` when no manual plus computer-assisted rescreening is performed
`88164`	Cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), automated screening and rescreening, with manual review as required	Represents automated screening with additional rescreening steps; may be used when automated systems perform primary and rescreening functions along with manual review
`88175`	Cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), cytotechnologist screening under physician supervision; training/qualification codes	Represents cytotechnologist-performed screening services under supervision and may be used in workflows where screening responsibilities differ from `88152`
`88185`	Cytopathology supervision and interpretation with review of direct smears or preparatory material; pathologist interpretive service	Performed when a pathologist provides the interpretation component associated with abnormal or suspicious cytology following the technical screening in `88152`

Related Modifiers

5 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
26	Modifier 26 (Professional Component) identifies and bills only the professional portion of a split service — the physician’s interpretation, report, and medical judgment — when the technical…	- Use CPT Modifier -26 when you are billing only the professional component (PC) of a split‑bill eligible service—i.e., you performed the physician interpretation, medical judgment and prepared a…
90	Modifier ‑90 (Reference/Outside Laboratory) indicates that a laboratory test was performed by an entity other than the treating or reporting provider. The American Medical Association defines…	- Use CPT modifier -90 when a laboratory test is performed by an outside/reference laboratory (an entity other than the treating or reporting physician or qualified professional) and the claim needs…
82	Modifier 82 is appended to a surgical CPT code to indicate that an attending physician acted as an assistant because a qualified resident surgeon was unavailable. In teaching hospitals it documents…	- When to use: Append modifier 82 in teaching-hospital settings to indicate a physician served as an assistant surgeon because a qualified resident surgeon was unavailable (includes situations where…
59	Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…	- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
57	CPT® modifier -57 (“Decision for Surgery”) is appended to an Evaluation and Management (E/M) service when that encounter results in the initial decision to perform a major surgery (a procedure with a…	- Use modifier 57 when an E/M service provided by the same provider (or same tax ID) on the day of or the day before a major surgical procedure (90‑day global period) results in the initial decision…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
246QC2700X	Cytotechnology Specialist/Technologist	Technologists, Technicians & Other Technical Service Providers · Specialist/Technologist, Pathology
323P00000X	Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility	A residential treatment facility (RTF) is a facility or distinct part of a facility that provides to children and adolescents, a total, twenty-four ho…
261QA0005X	Ambulatory Family Planning Facility	An abortion/family planning facility where services are provided at a fixed specific location. An Ambulatory Family Planning Facility does not provid…
2080I0007X	Pediatric Clinical & Laboratory Immunology Physician	A pediatrician who specializes in clinical and laboratory immunology disease management.
2083T0002X	Medical Toxicology (Preventive Medicine) Physician	Medical toxicologists are physicians who specialize in the prevention, evaluation, treatment and monitoring of injury and illness from exposures to dr…
103TC2200X	Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychologist	A psychologist who develops and applies scientific knowledge to the delivery of psychological services to infants, toddlers, children and adolescents …
363LP0200X	Pediatric Nurse Practitioner	Physician Assistants & Advanced Practice Nursing Providers · Nurse Practitioner
246RP1900X	Phlebotomy Technician	Technologists, Technicians & Other Technical Service Providers · Technician, Pathology

CPT 88141: Cervical or Vaginal Cytopathology Interpretation

CPT-88142-THIN-LAYER-CYTOLOGY-MANUAL-SCREENING

CPT 88142: Thin-Layer Cervical/Vaginal Cytology, Automated Prep with Manual Screening

CPT-88143-THIN-LAYER-CYTOLOGY-MANUAL-SCREENING

CPT 88143: Thin-Layer Cervical/Vaginal Cytology, Automated Prep with Manual Screening

CPT-88147-AUTOMATED-CERVICAL-VAGINAL-CYTOPATHOLOGY-SCREENING

CPT 88147: Automated Cervical/Vaginal Cytology Screening, Technical

CPT-88148-CYTOPATHOLOGY-AUTOMATED-SCREEN-MANUAL-RESCREEN

CPT 88148: Automated Cervical/Vaginal Cytology Screen with Manual Rescreening

CPT-88150-CERVICAL-VAGINAL-CYTOPATHOLOGY-SLIDE-ANALYSIS

CPT 88150: Manual Cervical or Vaginal Cytopathology Technical Analysis

CPT-88153-CERVICAL-VAGINAL-CYTOPATHOLOGY-MANUAL-RESCREENING

CPT 88153: Manual Rescreen of Cervical or Vaginal Cytology Slide

CPT-88155-CERVICOVAGINAL-CYTOPATHOLOGY-HORMONE-EVALUATION

CPT 88155: Cervicovaginal Cytopathology Hormone Evaluation

CPT-88160-CYTOPATHOLOGY-SMEAR-TECHNICAL-ANALYSIS

CPT 88160: Cytopathology Smear Screening and Interpretation

CPT-88161-CYTOPATHOLOGY-SMEAR-TECHNICAL-SCREENING

CPT 88161: Cytopathology Smear Screening and Technical Analysis

Showing 1–10 of 15

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

CPT Code	Description	Relationship to This Procedure
`88141`	Cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), collected in preservative fluid, automated thin layer preparation; manual screening under physician supervision	Alternative or preceding method when liquid-based cytology with manual screening is performed; may be performed prior to or instead of computer-assisted rescreening
`88142`	Cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), collected in preservative fluid, automated thin layer preparation; automated screening, without manual review	Related automated screening approach; represents a workflow that may substitute for or complement `88152` when no manual plus computer-assisted rescreening is performed
`88164`	Cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), automated screening and rescreening, with manual review as required	Represents automated screening with additional rescreening steps; may be used when automated systems perform primary and rescreening functions along with manual review
`88175`	Cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), cytotechnologist screening under physician supervision; training/qualification codes	Represents cytotechnologist-performed screening services under supervision and may be used in workflows where screening responsibilities differ from `88152`
`88185`	Cytopathology supervision and interpretation with review of direct smears or preparatory material; pathologist interpretive service	Performed when a pathologist provides the interpretation component associated with abnormal or suspicious cytology following the technical screening in `88152`

Related Modifiers

5 rows

Modifier	Description	When to Use
26	Modifier 26 (Professional Component) identifies and bills only the professional portion of a split service — the physician’s interpretation, report, and medical judgment — when the technical…	- Use CPT Modifier -26 when you are billing only the professional component (PC) of a split‑bill eligible service—i.e., you performed the physician interpretation, medical judgment and prepared a…
90	Modifier ‑90 (Reference/Outside Laboratory) indicates that a laboratory test was performed by an entity other than the treating or reporting provider. The American Medical Association defines…	- Use CPT modifier -90 when a laboratory test is performed by an outside/reference laboratory (an entity other than the treating or reporting physician or qualified professional) and the claim needs…
82	Modifier 82 is appended to a surgical CPT code to indicate that an attending physician acted as an assistant because a qualified resident surgeon was unavailable. In teaching hospitals it documents…	- When to use: Append modifier 82 in teaching-hospital settings to indicate a physician served as an assistant surgeon because a qualified resident surgeon was unavailable (includes situations where…
59	Modifier 59 indicates a distinct procedural service when two procedures that are not normally billed together are clinically and procedurally separate. The CPT definition (as reiterated by CMS)…	- Use modifier -59 to report a distinct procedural service when documentation supports that the procedure reported is not normally billed together with another service on the same day because of a…
57	CPT® modifier -57 (“Decision for Surgery”) is appended to an Evaluation and Management (E/M) service when that encounter results in the initial decision to perform a major surgery (a procedure with a…	- Use modifier 57 when an E/M service provided by the same provider (or same tax ID) on the day of or the day before a major surgical procedure (90‑day global period) results in the initial decision…

Related Provider Taxonomies

8 rows

Taxonomy Code	Specialty	Notes
246QC2700X	Cytotechnology Specialist/Technologist	Technologists, Technicians & Other Technical Service Providers · Specialist/Technologist, Pathology
323P00000X	Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility	A residential treatment facility (RTF) is a facility or distinct part of a facility that provides to children and adolescents, a total, twenty-four ho…
261QA0005X	Ambulatory Family Planning Facility	An abortion/family planning facility where services are provided at a fixed specific location. An Ambulatory Family Planning Facility does not provid…
2080I0007X	Pediatric Clinical & Laboratory Immunology Physician	A pediatrician who specializes in clinical and laboratory immunology disease management.
2083T0002X	Medical Toxicology (Preventive Medicine) Physician	Medical toxicologists are physicians who specialize in the prevention, evaluation, treatment and monitoring of injury and illness from exposures to dr…
103TC2200X	Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychologist	A psychologist who develops and applies scientific knowledge to the delivery of psychological services to infants, toddlers, children and adolescents …
363LP0200X	Pediatric Nurse Practitioner	Physician Assistants & Advanced Practice Nursing Providers · Nurse Practitioner
246RP1900X	Phlebotomy Technician	Technologists, Technicians & Other Technical Service Providers · Technician, Pathology

CPT 88141: Cervical or Vaginal Cytopathology Interpretation

CPT-88142-THIN-LAYER-CYTOLOGY-MANUAL-SCREENING

CPT 88142: Thin-Layer Cervical/Vaginal Cytology, Automated Prep with Manual Screening

CPT-88143-THIN-LAYER-CYTOLOGY-MANUAL-SCREENING

CPT 88143: Thin-Layer Cervical/Vaginal Cytology, Automated Prep with Manual Screening

CPT-88147-AUTOMATED-CERVICAL-VAGINAL-CYTOPATHOLOGY-SCREENING

CPT 88147: Automated Cervical/Vaginal Cytology Screening, Technical

CPT-88148-CYTOPATHOLOGY-AUTOMATED-SCREEN-MANUAL-RESCREEN

CPT 88148: Automated Cervical/Vaginal Cytology Screen with Manual Rescreening

CPT-88150-CERVICAL-VAGINAL-CYTOPATHOLOGY-SLIDE-ANALYSIS

CPT 88150: Manual Cervical or Vaginal Cytopathology Technical Analysis

CPT-88153-CERVICAL-VAGINAL-CYTOPATHOLOGY-MANUAL-RESCREENING

CPT 88153: Manual Rescreen of Cervical or Vaginal Cytology Slide

CPT-88155-CERVICOVAGINAL-CYTOPATHOLOGY-HORMONE-EVALUATION

CPT 88155: Cervicovaginal Cytopathology Hormone Evaluation

CPT-88160-CYTOPATHOLOGY-SMEAR-TECHNICAL-ANALYSIS

CPT 88160: Cytopathology Smear Screening and Interpretation

CPT-88161-CYTOPATHOLOGY-SMEAR-TECHNICAL-SCREENING

CPT 88161: Cytopathology Smear Screening and Technical Analysis

Showing 1–10 of 15

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

OpenPayer

CPT 88152: Cervical/Vaginal Cytopathology Manual Technical with Computer-Assisted Rescreening

Sign up for cpt 88152 policy alerts

OpenPayer

CPT 88152: Cervical/Vaginal Cytopathology Manual Technical with Computer-Assisted Rescreening

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

References

CPT 88152: Cervical/Vaginal Cytopathology Manual Technical with Computer-Assisted Rescreening

Sign up for cpt 88152 policy alerts

CPT 88152: Cervical/Vaginal Cytopathology Manual Technical with Computer-Assisted Rescreening

Sign up for cpt 88152 policy alerts

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

What workflow and setting does CPT 88152 describe?

Which modifiers are relevant when billing CPT 88152?

How does CPT 88152 relate to other cytopathology CPT codes?

What clinical scenarios prompt use of CPT 88152?

Which payers cover CPT 88152 and what policy considerations are noted?

References

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related CPT Codes

Related Modifiers

Related Provider Taxonomies

Related Codes

What workflow and setting does CPT 88152 describe?

Which modifiers are relevant when billing CPT 88152?

How does CPT 88152 relate to other cytopathology CPT codes?

What clinical scenarios prompt use of CPT 88152?

Which payers cover CPT 88152 and what policy considerations are noted?

References